Daily fix: a cup of coffee a day keeps the doctor away

It’s Monday morning and here’s yet another reason to drink coffee.

Drinking coffee every day reduces the risk of death among stroke and heart attack survivors by 22%, and by 14% among healthy older people, an observational study published in the journal Stroke this month found.

If you could believe all the headlines for research related to coffee, the wonder bean can improve myriad other health conditions from type 2 diabetes to digestion and bowel health, but the size and design of those studies are not as convincing as the latest research.

For this, the public health team analysed data from 46,000 Japanese participants, aged 40 to 79, and 60% were women.

Even then, coffee came far behind green tea. Green tea showed 62% success at reducing the risk of many causes of death and preventing further strokes and heart attacks.

“There is a strong need for scientific evidence on the lifestyles among survivors of stroke and heart attack, considering the rapidly ageing population and the need to improve life expectancy after these cardiovascular events,” said corresponding author Dr Hiroyasu Iso, a professor of public health at Osaka University in Japan.

The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk has conducted research in 45 communities. In this study the consumption of green tea and coffee, both the amount and frequency, among three groups — people with a history of stroke, a history of myocardial infarction and no history of either — was analysed.

Coffee is prepared with water and occasionally milk and sugar.

A typical cup of green tea contained about 100ml of liquid, and a typical cup of coffee about 150ml.

Comparing participants who rarely drank green tea with those consuming at least seven cups daily, the researchers found a 62% drop in “all-cause mortality” for stroke survivors but no statistically significant difference for participants without a history of stroke or heart attack.

There was a 22% drop in risk of death for coffee drinkers, compared to those who had one cup a day, to people who do not regularly have coffee.

“An important distinction to make is that in Japanese culture, green tea is generally prepared with water and without sugar.

“Additionally, coffee is prepared with water and occasionally milk and sugar,” said Iso. “The healthiest way to prepare these beverages is without an unnecessary amount of added sugars,” says Iso.

The reasons why green tea and coffee can lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes was not determined, given the limits of an observational study.

Filtered coffee was found to be healthier than boiled coffee, a prior study on the link to developing type 2 diabetes found.

The Chalmers University of Technology and Umeå University in Sweden discovered the preparation method influenced the health effects of coffee.

Professor in food science at Chalmers, and affiliated professor at the department of public health and clinical medicine at Umeå University and co-author, Rikard Landberg, said of their findings: “Given that espresso coffee, from classic espresso machines or the now popular coffee pods, is also brewed without filters, the health effects could therefore be similar to boiled coffee, in terms of the risk of type 2 diabetes.

“Coffee made in a cafetière, or French press, is prepared in a similar way to boiled coffee, so it may also not have the positive effect of reducing type 2 diabetes risk. It is unclear whether instant coffee would be more similar to filtered or boiled coffee in this respect.”

Whatever brew you choose, earlier research shows people are more alert after drinking caffeinated coffee.

Co-author Amit Singh, from Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, showed drinking caffeinated coffee together meant people talked more in groups, were more on topic (than those who drank decaf) and gave more positive reviews of performance after completing a task.

Go ahead: take one for the team!